I've got a list of 26 from A to Z. It starts with Aviation, Birdwatching and Children (spending time with my kids) and finishes with Exercise (yeah, I cheated there), Y (and X) - this means genealogy, come on, it's not easy finding X, Y and Z. Speaking of which Z is zoological - spending time with animals. I'd forgotten about the list and not paid attention to it for a couple of years. Thanks for the reminder.
I like the idea of A to Z. I have done a couple of other projects with A to Z themes - well, started them at least. In 2020 I started a journal in a notebook which just happened to have 26 lines per page and I wrote down a few things that I enjoyed doing with the idea of shoehorning as many as possible into my week. Here's the full list:
Aviation - I enjoy aviation and like to fly, so that was in
Birdwatching - Just taking time to sit and watch nature is the key here
Children - Spending time with my kids
Drawing - I like to draw, I'm not very good but I like it
Exploring - Having a look around at new places or places I don't really have to be
Friends - No explanation needed really
Garden/House - Doing some worthwhile chores at home
Healthy Eating - I really should do more of that, it makes me feel better
Investigating History - I love history as I think my Substack shows
Jung and Other Psychology - An area that fascinates me
Kindness or Helping Others - What can I say? I'm a lovely guy
Learning - Always makes for a good day
Meditation - 10% better
New things - Simple as that, try something new
On my Bike - Cycling
Projects & Ventures - To feel like I'm progressing
Questioning - Never take life at face value
Reading - I think we all know how good this is
Sharon - That's my wife, doing something for her or to make her day better
Telling Tales - That's about writing fiction
Ukulele, Piano or Saxophone - Rubbish at all three but love trying
Videography or Photography - Long been a hobby of mine
Xercise - Yeah, I cheated
Y and X Chromosomes - Genealogy, the things that made me who I am
Wow!! I love love love this!! Is it a daily practice to prioritise it and do you formally check it off somehow? Or do you mentally go over your day at the end and see what you were able to fit in your day?
I did do it daily and, when I kept a journal, would write A, F, S, U, X or whatever against the day. Then I'd just go over it mentally. Then I forgot all about it until I read your post and now I think I will resurrect it. Not formally but I'll keep the list handy, just remind myself. I was never sure how the children managed to get on the list when there are cafes, coffee and cake in the world but there you go.
Since your reminder I've started practising this daily, writing down which ones I've achieved, and that makes me look for more opportunities to do the things which bring me joy throughout the day. Yesterday was a C, E, F, G, H, K, M, N, R, S, T, W, Z kind of day.
Wonderful! We're on the same illustrated page (again)! Love your list and graphic. (Next week I share a daily scheduling tool I call the JoyFinder. It's about orienting your day around tiny bits of joy you can easily find just laying around.)
I have made it my practice this year to try to find daily moments of joy too. Joy is the fuel that helps us get through the hard stuff in life. For so long, I was focusing on the serious stuff and neglecting the joy. I'm trying to turn the ship around!
Wow, I do this too! I've got a list of my favorite things, including salmon avocado rolls and cycling. I just subscribed to your newsletter - love your positive energy!
Thank you for subscribing! Yes, to sushi and yes to moving your body!
It’s so easy to forget to do something fun, especially when we have such a huge to-do list. But it’s so so important! It’s a way to say to ourselves “you’re important, you’re worth looking after” 💕
I love this! My daughter is getting to an age where screen time is creeping up, and I want to make sure she remembers all the things she enjoys beyond that so I have recently made her a "Play, Make & Do List" of all the things she likes. This post has made me think I should probably do that for myself too, especially with the whole ADHD "out of sight out of mind" thing that can very easily make the things I love drop out of my brain 😂 it also fits very well with what I have planned for this year's 100 Day Project, which starts mid-February, which for me is going to be all about small daily joys!
Yessssss! I’m so excited to find other joy lovers here on substack! I seek out the inconspicuous awesomeness in every day and, when I’m having trouble falling asleep, I think of joyful things in alphabetical order.
And, thanks for the nudge to ride my scooter, Mika. I’m going to do that this afternoon! How can you not smile when you’re wheeeeee-ing through the neighborhood?
Ah this is such a great prompt, I love a good joy list! Some simple things on my list are drinking a great cup of sticky chai (mmm delish), walks by the ocean, eating falafel from the hole in the wall shop down the road (the best) and yin yoga 🌞
Love this idea of writing a list to remind ourselves what sparks joy and to give ourselves permission to play! I'll think about it... right now it's a bit painful as my lingering illness is preventing me from taking lots of actions, even simple ones. But I am really dying to start drawing on a daily basis! And I could include a little dance in my day, when I have recovered! xo
Love that. Even a honey, lemon, ginger drink while listening to some beautiful piano music could be a way to add joy into our day when we aren’t feeling 100%. I hope you feel better soon! Xx
I love this !!!! I'm going to use this as my journal prompt this weekend 🙏 I really think prioritising play, joy and fun is so important and something lots of adults dont make time for 💞
I've got a list of 26 from A to Z. It starts with Aviation, Birdwatching and Children (spending time with my kids) and finishes with Exercise (yeah, I cheated there), Y (and X) - this means genealogy, come on, it's not easy finding X, Y and Z. Speaking of which Z is zoological - spending time with animals. I'd forgotten about the list and not paid attention to it for a couple of years. Thanks for the reminder.
This is so intriguing! What gave you the idea to do that?
I like the idea of A to Z. I have done a couple of other projects with A to Z themes - well, started them at least. In 2020 I started a journal in a notebook which just happened to have 26 lines per page and I wrote down a few things that I enjoyed doing with the idea of shoehorning as many as possible into my week. Here's the full list:
Aviation - I enjoy aviation and like to fly, so that was in
Birdwatching - Just taking time to sit and watch nature is the key here
Children - Spending time with my kids
Drawing - I like to draw, I'm not very good but I like it
Exploring - Having a look around at new places or places I don't really have to be
Friends - No explanation needed really
Garden/House - Doing some worthwhile chores at home
Healthy Eating - I really should do more of that, it makes me feel better
Investigating History - I love history as I think my Substack shows
Jung and Other Psychology - An area that fascinates me
Kindness or Helping Others - What can I say? I'm a lovely guy
Learning - Always makes for a good day
Meditation - 10% better
New things - Simple as that, try something new
On my Bike - Cycling
Projects & Ventures - To feel like I'm progressing
Questioning - Never take life at face value
Reading - I think we all know how good this is
Sharon - That's my wife, doing something for her or to make her day better
Telling Tales - That's about writing fiction
Ukulele, Piano or Saxophone - Rubbish at all three but love trying
Videography or Photography - Long been a hobby of mine
Xercise - Yeah, I cheated
Y and X Chromosomes - Genealogy, the things that made me who I am
Zoological - Time with animals
Ten so far today so can't grumble.
Wow!! I love love love this!! Is it a daily practice to prioritise it and do you formally check it off somehow? Or do you mentally go over your day at the end and see what you were able to fit in your day?
I did do it daily and, when I kept a journal, would write A, F, S, U, X or whatever against the day. Then I'd just go over it mentally. Then I forgot all about it until I read your post and now I think I will resurrect it. Not formally but I'll keep the list handy, just remind myself. I was never sure how the children managed to get on the list when there are cafes, coffee and cake in the world but there you go.
Your last comment about your kids cracked me up! 😆
Since your reminder I've started practising this daily, writing down which ones I've achieved, and that makes me look for more opportunities to do the things which bring me joy throughout the day. Yesterday was a C, E, F, G, H, K, M, N, R, S, T, W, Z kind of day.
Wonderful! We're on the same illustrated page (again)! Love your list and graphic. (Next week I share a daily scheduling tool I call the JoyFinder. It's about orienting your day around tiny bits of joy you can easily find just laying around.)
Can’t wait to read it Christine!
We need these kind of fun activities. Because that is how we will digest what we learn. Also it helps us to work more efficiently.
Such a great idea. Makes a great journal prompt for me. One thing I would put on my list is the first sip an espresso shot in the morning.
Love it! It’s the simple things. ☕️ Most of it doesn’t cost extra money or too much extra time. ✨
Still working on the ‘give myself permission to do what I love’ part, but I’m working on a list…
Starting on the list is a great start! Then you start getting excited about some of the ideas. 😊
I have made it my practice this year to try to find daily moments of joy too. Joy is the fuel that helps us get through the hard stuff in life. For so long, I was focusing on the serious stuff and neglecting the joy. I'm trying to turn the ship around!
If we’re not careful we end up with ticking things off our to-do list and forget to nourish our souls and just to let loose and have fun! 😊
Here’s my list! 🥰
https://mirandavandenheuvel.substack.com/p/make-a-100-things-you-love-list?utm_source=publication-search
What a great list! Thanks for sharing xx
Wow, I do this too! I've got a list of my favorite things, including salmon avocado rolls and cycling. I just subscribed to your newsletter - love your positive energy!
Thank you for subscribing! Yes, to sushi and yes to moving your body!
It’s so easy to forget to do something fun, especially when we have such a huge to-do list. But it’s so so important! It’s a way to say to ourselves “you’re important, you’re worth looking after” 💕
I love this! My daughter is getting to an age where screen time is creeping up, and I want to make sure she remembers all the things she enjoys beyond that so I have recently made her a "Play, Make & Do List" of all the things she likes. This post has made me think I should probably do that for myself too, especially with the whole ADHD "out of sight out of mind" thing that can very easily make the things I love drop out of my brain 😂 it also fits very well with what I have planned for this year's 100 Day Project, which starts mid-February, which for me is going to be all about small daily joys!
It seems we are on the same trajectory of injecting joy into our day. I agree with ADHD, it definitely is out of sight out of mind!
Yessssss! I’m so excited to find other joy lovers here on substack! I seek out the inconspicuous awesomeness in every day and, when I’m having trouble falling asleep, I think of joyful things in alphabetical order.
And, thanks for the nudge to ride my scooter, Mika. I’m going to do that this afternoon! How can you not smile when you’re wheeeeee-ing through the neighborhood?
Joyful moments are always without our grasp we just need to seek it out, as you said! ✨
Ah this is such a great prompt, I love a good joy list! Some simple things on my list are drinking a great cup of sticky chai (mmm delish), walks by the ocean, eating falafel from the hole in the wall shop down the road (the best) and yin yoga 🌞
I love love love your list!! (I might steal some to add to mine ☺️)
Thank you! Go for it! They can never be too long hey?! 💖💖💖
Love this idea of writing a list to remind ourselves what sparks joy and to give ourselves permission to play! I'll think about it... right now it's a bit painful as my lingering illness is preventing me from taking lots of actions, even simple ones. But I am really dying to start drawing on a daily basis! And I could include a little dance in my day, when I have recovered! xo
Love that. Even a honey, lemon, ginger drink while listening to some beautiful piano music could be a way to add joy into our day when we aren’t feeling 100%. I hope you feel better soon! Xx
Thank you for your kind thoughts and suggestion, Mika!
Your little list graphic brought me joy 😌
Doing yoga again after a long break made me feel so joyful and at peace, I think now I need to make one of these lists and add yoga up at the top 💕
Thanks for reminding me about yoga. It was such a transformative part of my day, but I keep forgetting or putting it off. All the best with your list!
Love this and love the graphic <3 I need to make this joy list asap!
Let me know how you get on!! So important to keep this up when life has a lot of demands on you.
I love this !!!! I'm going to use this as my journal prompt this weekend 🙏 I really think prioritising play, joy and fun is so important and something lots of adults dont make time for 💞
Thank you for your lovely comment Emily! I’m glad it was helpful. I would love to hear what you came up with! 💕
Love this - I'm going to make my list today!!!